The Demon King
by Dizefpoul
Summary: Ichigo is an ordinary boy who lives with his brothers. One day, while hunting, he found something with mystical powers. Something that changed his life forever... for the better... or the worse Read on to find out
1. Chapter 1

"Come on Ichigo! What are you doing?" screamed Hitsugaya. "I'm coming", replied Ichigo. Ichigo rushed to his brothers, who were waiting outside. Everyday, Ichigo and his brothers, Hitsugaya and Byakuya hunt in the nearby forest. They used to catch a lot of animals but since the druid war, most animals fled to the northern forest. When they were lucky, the most they got was a hare or some birds. Most of the time they returned home with a half eaten carcass or empty traps.

"Do you think we might be able to find a deer today?" asked Hitsugaya.

"No one has seen any deer in this forest since the druid war. And even if we find one, with our shooting skills, we'll probably miss it by a few ten meters", replied Byakuya.

"Why do you have to be so pessimist? It's been at least one year since the druid war ended. Maybe the animals have come back", Ichigo said, trying to keep Hitsugaya's hopes up.

They continued on arguing until they reached the forest. As always, Hitsugaya gets to check the traps because he was the youngest and the worst hunter. Byakuya and Ichigo hunt the animals. Most of the time, they just take a stroll. Suddenly, they heard a loud high-pitched sound. "What was that?" asked Ichigo alarmingly.

"It sounded like a black river bird. Pretty rare but not edible. We could sell it in the market", said Byakuya.

The sound was heard once again. They followed it until they saw the bird. It was beautiful. Its feathers were as dark as the night. It was eating a small squirrel on the ground.

"How can we kill such a beautiful bird?" Ichigo asked.

"Don't judge things by their appearance. That bird would take out your eyes if it could. Now stop talking or it will fly away," Byakuya said.

They both sneaked behind the bird and took out their slingshots. They pulled the string and aimed at the bird. Suddenly, just before shooting the bird, a wolf pounced on the bird. It was so fast that the bird barely had time to open its wings. Byakuya instinctively drew out his bow and aimed at the wolf's head. Ichigo screamed in terror. The wolf noticed the boys and jumped on Byakuya. He fell on the ground with the wolf on him, ready to bite off his head.

Without even thinking, Ichigo took out his dagger and plunged it in the wolf's neck. Still it was not dead. Before the wolf could bite off Ichigo's arm, Byakuya stabbed it with an arrow. The wolf gave a last howl before dying.

"You just saved my life," Byakuya said staring at the wolf's dead body.

"And you saved mine"

"Let's go home"

"Wait. If the wolves are back maybe the other animals are back too"

"Maybe. But let's go home now. It's getting late. Wolves hunt in packs. This one's pack must not be far," Byakuya said, pointing at the corpse.

"No. I'm not coming. For one whole year we've been living in poverty and hunger. If we wait, the hunters from the city will kill all the animals. Think of it. Our life will change. All the animals must be hiding in the deep part of the forest."

"We nearly just died and you want to go deeper in the forest?! Strange things happen in the deep forest. Many people have died there. Those who return talked about lions as big as bears"

"These are just stories that dad used to tell us when we were still a child. Only a fool would believe it. I'm going with or without you"

"Fine by me. It's already night. Hitsugaya must be worried. Beware the demons. Don't say that I didn't warn you", Byakuya said, leaving Ichigo alone in the dark.

"Demons. How can he believe in such things," Ichigo said to himself as he went deeper into the forest.

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	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo had been walking for about an hour and he had not seen any trace any animal. "I think this was a bad idea. Byakuya was right. I should have waited for tomorrow,' he mumbled to himself. Just when he was going to turn back, he heard a sound. He thought it was only the wind, but was too desperate to return home. He searched everywhere but there was nothing. He heard the sound again. It sounded like a deer.

He hid behind a bush and looked over. He was amazed at what he saw. It was a white moon deer; the rarest deer in the forest. Ichigo aimed his bow at the deer. His hands were trembling. _What if I miss it? _He thought. He released the arrow. It went flying through the air. He was sure that it would hit the deer.

Unfortunately, he missed. The arrow landed just a few centimeters away from the animal. The deer seized the opportunity to run away. Losing no time, he pursued the animal. It was very fast and easily outran Ichigo but the ground was muddy and Ichigo could see its footprints.

Suddenly, Ichigo heard a growl behind him. He spun around and saw four wolves snarling at him. Before he had the time to realize what was happening, one of them jumped on him. "Get off me!" he screamed. He tried to push the wolf away but he was not powerful enough.

Ichigo thought that this was the end. _If only I had listen to Byakuya _he thought. He was struggling desperately when he remembered his dagger. With his last remaining strength, he shielded himself with one hand and reached out for his dagger with the other. He raised the dagger and stabbed the wolf in the eye. The wolf roared in pain and stumbled backwards.

Ichigo quickly got on his feet and ran as fast as he could. He did not dare look behind. He could still hear the wolves running behind him. _Why aren't they attacking me? They surely are fast enough to catch me. And why didn't they finish me off me when the wolf was on me? I was more vulnerable then. Are they playing with me like a lion plays with its prey? _Ichigo suddenly caught the sight of a cave. Without thinking, he headed inside. He expected to see four wolves behind him when he would turn around but when he did, there was nothing.

"Where are the wolves? I was sure I heard them ten seconds ago", Ichigo said to himself.

He decided to go deeper in the cave through a tunnel in case the wolves find him. As he walked, he realized that no cave has ever been seen in the forest. _This must be the very first cave discovered in this forest. I think I'll name it… The Ichigo Cave… or The Kurosaki Cave_.

Ichigo was so lost in his thought that he did not realize that there was a light at the end of the cave. As soon as he saw it, he started running towards, thinking that it must be the other end of the cave. As he got closer to the light he noticed that there were sculptures of strange figures on both side of the tunnel. Curious, he walked towards the figures. They looked like humans but each one had a hole in their chest and they all wore masks with creepy faces. The sight of it was frightening and he wanted to turn back and return home but the wolves might still be there.

Suddenly, the tunnel broke into an enormous chamber. There were hundreds of sculptures of soldier, all facing someone on a throne. He could finally see the source of light. It was coming from a ring worn by the person on the throne. Amazed, he approached it and saw that it looked like a dead, decayed man. A white mask covered half of his face. His skin was grey and he was as thin as a rake. The sight of him sent a shiver down Ichigo's spine.

The ring in his hand shone bright. "What the hell is this? Is it magic?" he wondered. He reached for the magical ring but as soon as he touched it, he felt a tight grip on his hand.

"THIEF!" came a dark voice.


End file.
